Robert Wright is the New York Times bestselling author of The Evolution of God, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, as well as Nonzero and The Moral Animal. He is also known as one of the nation's foremost public intellectuals and an expert on evolutionary psychology.

His new book Why Buddhism is True is the first book to combine evolutionary psychology with cutting-edge neuroscience to defend the radical claims at the heart of Buddhist philosophy. He leads readers on a journey through psychology, philosophy, and meditation to show how and why Buddhism can serve as the foundation for a spiritual life in a secular age.

Join CIIS Community Mental Health Professor Steven Tierney for a conversation with Robert about his journey exploring psychology, philosophy, and meditation to show how Buddhism holds the key to moral clarity and enduring happiness.

Robert Wright is the New York Times bestselling author of The Evolution of God, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize; Nonzero; The Moral Animal; and Three Scientists and Their Gods, a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. He has taught at the University of Pennsylvania and at Princeton, where he also created the popular online course Buddhism and Modern Psychology. He has written for a variety of publications, including The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Time, Slate, and The New Republic.

Steven Tierney, EdD, LPPC is Professor of Community Mental Health at CIIS. He holds an MA in Counseling and Social Psychology from Wayne State University, an EdD from Northeastern University and an advanced certificate in Child and Adolescent Therapy from Boston University. He is a licensed psychotherapist in California (LPCC) and Massachusetts (LMHC) and is a nationally certified counselor (NCC). Steven is a certified addiction specialist (CAS) has been awarded Diplomat and Clinical Mental Health Specialist Certification by the American Mental Health Counselors Association; the highest level of professional achievement in his profession.

Steven was ordained by Dairyu Michael Wenger and was Shuso at Dragons Leap in 2014. Steven is the President of the Board of Directors for the Dragons Leap Temple in San Francisco. Steven serves on the Steering Committee for the Meditation in Recovery Group at SF Zen Center extending Buddhism and recovery to several hundred community members each year. He is also the co-founder and chief education officer of the San Francisco Mindfulness Foundation. The SF Mindfulness Foundation provides mindfulness-based relapse prevention and addiction services provider training.

Steven's public mental health work has taken him to Zambia, Peru and across the United States. He is a certified trainer for the ASIST suicide prevention training program and has provided that training across California.